Sunday, February 17, 2008

Regional Rivalry

You will notice I have started to split my tasting notes into north/south distinctions. Any student of English culture will notice that the English in the south count them selves as being very different from the English in the north and vice versa. Like the exchange between Barry the Baptist and Lenny in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Barry “Fucking northern monkeys!” Lenny: “I hate these fucking southern fairies!”) the world of beer is not immune from these rivalries, in fact it’s a hot bed. Sparklers, swan necks and hopping levels all cause debate. In the beer blogging world we have the northern camp firmly represented by Tandleman, in the south we get Paul Garrard saying all sorts of controversial things about Yorkshire bitters and then there is Stonch, a northerner living in the south who seems to get represented as a southern fairy more often than not.

My own ancestry is all from the south, one side London the other Devon, add to that she who must be obeyed is from Sussex and my allegiances are clear. I do enjoy beer from Yorkshire though. Right I’m off to prance in my fairy wings…

13 comments:

Greig McGill said...

I wasn't aware you had a SWMBO, Kieran! Be careful not to lose her amongst the handpumps and fermenters. :)

Kieran Haslett-Moore said...

Long term friend, recently 'to be obeyed'.

Martin said...

I grew up in Yorkshire, obtained most of my drinking education in London, and now live in New Zealand. If I carry on this progression I'll end up in Antarctica with no liver!

I will always have a soft spot for a northern (English) bitter but unlike many "northern monkeys" I quite like some of the malty southern beers.

Yorkshireman till I die though.

Stonch said...

I don't know who or what I am, it's terribly confusing. I speak in a garbled tongue of hardcore Geordie (howay man), received pronounciation (overuse of the impersonal pronoun) and Eastenders mockney (dropped h's). In summary, I am a total tosser.

Kieran Haslett-Moore said...

Come on Stonch sounds like you are starting to believe what Whorst says about you.

Tandleman said...

Well I an starting to sound a bit like Hudson from Upstairs Downstairs peppered with the odd birra Scouse and a lot of Manc. It's what happens when you move away.

Anonymous said...

Excuse me !
I'm from East Anglia (Ale Capital of the UK) - please don't lump me in with southerners, thank you very much !

;-)

Anonymous said...

I've heard folk referring to "Yorkshire Bitter" or "Scottish Heavy" but I'm certain that you can get these styles of ales pretty much anywhere in the UK if you look.

I think the North - South divide seems to be something that exists in peoples heads rather than anywhere else. I'm a Northerner and I owe my love of ale to a pint of Adnams Broadside so lets hope that's the case otherwise I'm in for a kicking if this ever gets out..

Tandleman said...

It isn't necessarily the ale John. It is how it is kept and presented!

Anonymous said...

Adnams "East Anglian!"

Whilst there is some truth in "It isn't necessarily the ale John. It is how it is kept and presented!" - if it's a crap beer no amount of good keeping and presentation is going to help.

Kieran Haslett-Moore said...

lit the fuse there didn't I?

Paul I thought you would be more insulted if I lumped you in with the mid lands!

Boak said...

I think there's more of a London vs rest of UK divide than a north-south thing. Still leaves Stonch with an identity crisis though :-)

Whorst said...

Stanch's identity crisis lies with him being a metrosexual and not admitting it. I support people who actually make and drink the stuff. He should ditch beer and write about wine. More his style.